Meatloaf with Barley

My mother makes amazing meatloaf, and until recently, I’ve been scared to try any other meatloaf. A couple years ago I attempted to make meatloaf from an Alton Brown recipe, and it was my worst kitchen disaster to date. It was soupy, would not cook through, took forever to prepare, cost a ton in odd ingredients, and was completely unsalvageable. It was a wreck. Since my mom doesn’t make meatloaf very often anymore, and I was too scared to try making it again myself, I started ordering it at restaurants. I am in love with Cracker Barrel’s meatloaf.

So, alas, I was yet again inspired to try making meatloaf. I found a Weight Watchers recipe that seemed to incorporate the same basic elements of the Cracker Barrel meatloaf and gave it a try. Well, it turned out awesome. I used lean ground beef in place of the recommended turkey because the beef was on sale for half the price of the ground turkey, and since it’s so lean, it’s nearly the same calorie/fat content per ounce of meat as the turkey. My meatloaf didn’t turn out quite as “formed” as I thought it would, it seemed to crumble apart pretty easily, which may have been due to the use of beef in place of turkey since I know poultry is a little dryer. Otherwise, I would not have changed a thing. Ryan was skeptical about the ketchup because he hates ketchup, but we were both happy with the meal and excited about having the leftovers for lunch. Definitely five stars!